Leonard: Bringing Eli Manning back could be real problem for Odell Beckham

If the Giants intend to bring back Eli Manning for 2019, as has been reported, they need to consider how this is going to impact Odell Beckham Jr., arguably their best player and certainly their greatest investment.

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Would Beckham want to continue playing with Manning, and would the Giants want to put up with his frustrations if he doesn’t?

For one, Beckham has criticized his quarterback’s deficiencies publicly this season, and it is hard to believe he would relish a repeat of this year’s offensive futility next year.

And three: GM Dave Gettleman talked potential Beckham trades last spring and reportedly took calls again at this fall’s trade deadline after signing him to a five-year extension.

Beckham is one player on a team, so if the Giants plan to bring both Manning and him back, then that’s what will happen. But Beckham also is this team’s best player, and there are just too many signs that Beckham’s ideal football team would include a different quarterback.

And meanwhile, if the Giants remain backwards enough to bring Manning back, they absolutely could be foolish enough to choose Manning over Beckham if forced to make that decision.

Even on Thursday, it was truly awkward as Beckham was prodded to be optimistic about a productive future with Manning, and he did his best to be honest but stay diplomatic.

He was asked if the offense’s recent production is a taste of what Manning and OBJ still are capable of together.

Thankfully, at least, the Giants fan base seems to have found its sanity on this issue.

The Daily News ran a Twitter poll on Thursday asking Giants fans if they had to pick only one scenario for 2019, which would they prefer: keep Eli and trade or Odell, or keep Odell and cut Eli?

A refreshing 86 percent (2,409 votes) picked cutting the quarterback, compared to 14 percent (392 votes) who just want Beckham off their lawns.

Beckham, 26, wants to be a part of a winning Giants organization, though, as long as he is a Giant. He is mostly frustrated that he hasn’t had an opportunity to help them do that this year.

What does Beckham cling to for hope?

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“This is a winning organization. They’ve won in the past,” said Beckham. “We’ve just got to trust the process, and at some point in time, the goal is to obviously hang a banner and raise that trophy. All you can do is be optimistic and keep pushing forward and getting better.”

But Beckham was understandably not interested in talking about his criticism of last week’s “game plan” in Philadelphia, or sharing if he had discussed the second half’s lack of offense with Manning, or anything that rehashed negatives of the past.

“We’re all on to Chicago,” Beckham said. “So any questions about anything yesterday, or two weeks ago, or a year ago — I’m here to talk about Chicago.”

The conversation now, though, already has turned to next season. And if the Giants plan to keep Manning as their starting quarterback, they need to make sure they have their finger on the pulse of what that means for their offense and their star receiver’s ability to thrive.